Latch.



No. 750,009. PATBNTBD MAY a, 1904. J. PV. OWENS.

LATGH.

APPLIOATIONYHLED n! is. 100s. Y io 1000m..

. JM E me uonms crans cu4 Famaumn. wAsmNsvou, n, c.

rathtci May 3, i904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

JAMES P. OWENS, OF I/VEATHERFORD, TEXAS.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 59,009, dated May 3, 1904. Application filed May 16, 1903. Serial No. 157,505. (No model.)

T0 rL/Z whom, it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, JAMES P. OwnNs,acitiZen of the United States, residing at Weatherford, in the county of Parker and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to latches; and the object of the invention is to provide an effective article of this character which may be used with facility in many ways-for example, in conjunction with either swinging o1' sliding gates or doors.

The improved device includes a keeper and a latch of peculiar construction, the advan-I tages of which will be hereinafter set forth at length, the latch being ordinarily mounted upon the gate or door, while the keeper is mounted upon the gate or door post or frame.

In the following description I describe in detail one simple and convenient adaptation of the device, which is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication; but the invention is of course not limited to the exact disclosure, for variations as to certain of its features may be made within the scope of the claims succeeding such description.

Referring to said drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a swinging' gate provided with a latch involving the invention. Fig. Qisa side elevation of the keeper of said latch. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the keeper, the section being taken practically at its center. Figs. 4C and 5 are respectively face and edge views of the latch-supporting brac.ket,vand Fig. 6 isa longitudinal central sectional elevation of the latch.

Like characters referto like parts throughout the several figures.

The improved device involves in its organization a keeper,which in the present instance is adapted to be mounted upon a stationary part, which may be either the post or frame of a swinging or. sliding door or gate. The keeper is denoted in a general way by 5, and it is usually made in the form of a casting.

The keeper 5 is represented as consisting' of a plate approximately right-angular in keeper and extending longitudinally thereof j rises a iiange 6., the working portion ofV which cooperates Witha latch mounted upon the gate to hold the gate in a desired position.. The working portion of the flange (i is represented asconsisting of teeth, each denoted by 7. It will be seen that the teeth are formed upon an inclination which rises from the initial or first one and follows a right line to the rear one, and the function of this structure will hereinafter appear.

The latch is denoted by 8, and it is represented as consisting of a loop or open frame of substantially oblong rectangular form, which is carried for swinging' or oscillating movement by a bracket 9, adapted to be suitably fastened, as by means of screws, to the gate, the bracket being so positioned with respect to the gate-post that it is approximately in horizontal alinement with the horizontal portion of the body of the keeper. By constructing the latch in the manner shown that is, of relatively considerable widtli--there is no possibility of its getting out of adjustment.

Upon the upper side of the bracket 9 is a lug 10, of segmental shape in cross-section,

and which constitutes al bearing for what I might be considered the journal portion of the latch 8, such journal portion consisting of the inner cross-bar of the loop-shaped latch 8. In applying the latch to a gate the inner crossbar thereof is iirst inserted into the inner open side of the lug l0, after which the bracket is fastened to the gate at the desired place, the gate itself serving to prevent the displacement of the journal portion of the latch from the bearing-lug' 10. When the gate is open, the latch 8 should be maintained in a horizontal position, or approximately so, in order that when the gate is closed the free end of said latch will be in proper position to engage the toothed or serrated portion 7 of the keeper,

and means are provided for positively holding said latch in the desired position, o'ne form of which will now be described.

Upon the outer face of the bracket or plate 9 and near opposite sides thereof are projections 11, thek upper faces of which are horizontally disposed and are fiush with the corresponding face of the body of the plate. The latch 8 when free of the keeper is sustained by these projections l1, which hold said latch in the desired horizontal position.

The latch 8 is light in construction and may be inexpensively formed. It may be made very well from a single piece of wire or a bar shaped to the desired form in some suitable Way.

A As the gate closes and when it has nearly reached its closed position the free' end of the latch will engage and ride over the inclined face of the initial tooth 7 of the keeper and thereafter will drop into the concaved space between said initial tooth and the second one. This result will be repeated with the succeeding teeth until the gate reaches its fully-closed position if it be desired to fully shut said gate. If not, the free end of the latch will be permitted to remain in the concaved seat between two intermediate teeth, so that the gate is positively held partially open. It will be remembered that the toothed portion of the keeper has been described as being upon an incline which rises from the initial tooth toward the rear one. An advantage follows this` for when it is desired to open the gate the free end of the latch will be lifted out of a space between two of the rear teeth into which it may lie, and when it has been carried above the tops of the preceding teeth the gate' may be swung open, and as such operation takes place the free end of the latch will not come in contact with such preceding teeth, the tops of which are in a plane lower than the tooth which held the latch.

Upon what might be considered the rear end of the keeper and associated with the anged portion 6 thereof is an arm 12, illustrated as being of substantially right-angular or L form, the horizontal branch of the arrn constituting a guard and extending over the tinal teeth 7, so that the latch cannot be lifted out of said final teeth by live stock. Of course the horizontal branch of the arm 12 is of such a'height from said final teeth that a person may freely latch can squarely engage the teeth whether the gate be latched fully or partially closed. rIliis construction is particularlyintended for swinging gates or doors where the angular position of the swinging part varies with respect to the keeper.

From the preceding description it will be obvious that the keeper, which is relatively stationary, has teeth located at progressivelyincreasing distances from the body thereof, thev advantages of which construction have been hereinbefore set forth.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim isl. In a device of the class described, a relatively fixed keeper having teeth formed upon a rising :incline with respect to the body thereof.

2. In a device of the class described, a keeper, the Working portion of which is toothed, said keeper having a guard extending over the toothed portion thereof.

3. In a device of the class described, a keeper, the working portion of which is toothed, said keeper having'an angular arm at its rear, one branch of which extends over certain of the teeth and constitutes a guard therefor.

4. In a device of the class described, a relatively fixed keeper having teeth formed upon a rising incline with respect to the body thereof, and a guard extending over certain of the teeth. 5. In a device of the class described, a relatively fixed keeper having teeth formed upon a rising incline with respect to the body thereof, a guard extending over certain of the teeth combined with a swinging latch of skeleton form to engage said teeth.

6. In a device of the class described, a keeper having teeth formed upon la rising incline with respect to the body thereof and a guard extending over certain of the teeth, combined with a latch of skeletonsform to engage said teeth, and a bracket having a bearing for the latch and projections at opposite sides of the bearing for holding the latch in position to engage the toothed portion of the keeper.

7 In a device of the class described, a relatively fixed keeper consisting of a plate having a depending flange along its inner side to be fastened-to a fence-post or the like, and a vertical fiange rising from the outer side thereof, theV last-mentioned ange having teeth formed upon an incline with respect to the body which is horizontally disposed, and said toothed fange having at its rear a substantially angular arm, the horizontal portion of which extends over the rear teeth.

In testimonyY whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES P. owENs.

l/Vitnesses: Y

E. V. GREEN, G. A. HALLAN,

IIO 

